Common Injuries from DIY Electrical Work

Category: Tips for Your Home

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Professionals who provide electrical services in Cincinnati are trained and certified in proper procedures. Safety is a big part of that training. While taking on do-it-yourself household projects like painting or carpentry can save money and increase your skills, the fact is most electrical work doesn’t belong in the DIY category because of the considerable safety risks. Leaving electrical services in Cincinnati to qualified professionals not only reduces the direct risk to the individual handyman, but it also protects other occupants in the home from secondary hazards like electrical fires and ensures that work performed complies fully with local building codes.

Here are some typical injuries that may result from DIY electrical work:

Burns

The most common electrical injury, burns from electricity can be very severe due to the rapid intense heat generated. Flash burns happen when an arc occurs as electricity jumps from a source to a ground. This instantaneous heat energy can be hot enough to melt steel and cause very serious burns. The intense bright light generates high ultraviolet radiation that can also damage your eyes. Burns can occur when electrical energy flows through the body, internally damaging tissues and bones with intense heat. Severe external burns typically result at the point of contact and the point where the electricity exits the body.

Electrical Shock

Shock from electricity flowing through the body can range from a mere tingling sensation all the way to instantaneous cardiac arrest. Accidentally touching an energized “hot” wire can cause muscles in your hand and arm to involuntarily contract, making it impossible to let go of the wire. If you happen to be working on a roof or ladder, involuntary contractions can cause you to lose your footing and fall. Even low voltages can be dangerous — the electrical current required to run a 10-watt light bulb is enough to stop your heart. The difference between the amount of electricity you can barely feel and a fatal electrical shock can be as little as 50 mill amperes.